Covenants, Giving &
Fund Raising
Raising money in France for
the Chaplaincy is uncomplicated but, of course, is best done in
conjunction with your local committee and their treasurer.
Whilst funding from the ICS in the UK is generous, we have the
responsibility to be self-sufficient and we are sure that your local
committee will be delighted to discuss your plans.
Regular personal giving to
support the Chaplaincy, ideally by standing order on your French bank,
is very tax effective. Your Treasurer will be happy to
provide you with both the RIB for the relevant local bank account to be
credited and to tell you how to get back the tax refunds that the
French state generously allows.
However, when money is being
raised for causes outside the Chaplaincy, either here in France or
elsewhere, things are more complex. France is a secular
country and the state insists that all charitable giving, especially
those made by a religious organisation, called an Association
Cultuelle, complies with strict rules. In practice, these
rules are easy to comply with and cause few problems. But the
rules must be obeyed!
The Chaplaincy cannot give
money to any outside person or organisation directly. The law
requires it to pass such monies through a separate entity.
So, to make its giving possible and legal, in 2006 the Chaplaincy
created the necessary structure. Called Chap-Aid,
its objectives are to collect and distribute funds to enable it to
provide relief to those in need, to support outreach and to care for
individuals in France or elsewhere, and to collect and distribute funds
to those ends, in a spirit of Christian concern.
If you would like to raise
money for a charity whose objectives closely match those of the
Chaplaincy, this you can do. Taking advice from and then passing the
funds through Chap-Aid can provide you with the assurance that the law
will not be after you!
However please note that
Chap-Aid is not structured to handle more than a limited number of
transactions and certainly will be quite selective in how it is used.
Firstly, the Chap-Aid
requires that the recipient be a registered charity, either here or
abroad.
Before you start doing
anything, it is best if your project has the approval of your local
church committee, so please talk to their Stewardship Officer.
Then, before you start fund
raising, it is suggested that you contact Gillian Strachan (acting
président) on aquitainechaplain@gmail.com
She will need a summary in writing giving the name and address of the
charity, its official charity registration number and a short outline
of its purpose, which should match those of Chap-Aid itself as set out
above. At the outset, he will be able to advise you on the suitability
of the charity.
Before any money can pass
through Chap-Aid, both Michael and the Chap-Aid Council will have to
give their formal approval of the recipient organisation.
This will not have to await their next formal meeting as such requests
are handled via e-mail and phone calls. With this, you will
be ready to go ahead.
Ensuring that you meet the
legal criteria and going through these steps could save you a great
deal of trouble later.
Chap-Aid itself cannot yet
issue tax certificates for French income tax purposes.
However, for those wishing to reclaim on their tax, which at 60% in
France is a very worthwhile sum, a solution can be found.
Please note that Chap-Aid
can only receive money in the form of cheques in euros drawn on a
French bank and made out in favour of Chap-Aid and not the
Chaplaincy. However, anyone wishing to benefit from a UK tax
credit can write out a sterling cheque in favour of the UK charity and
give it to the Chap-Aid treasurer. It will then, alongside
other funds being transferred to the UK, be forwarded with the request
that a UK credit be issued.
It is important to note that
UK Gift Aid is a separate issue. ChapAid and the Chaplaincy
are not able to be transfer funds to a UK based charity.
Rather, sterling cheques should be sent directly to the charity
concerned. If they are UK based, the recipient charity may be
able to provide a tax certificate for UK tax payers.
Legal Details
The Chaplaincy of Aquitaine
is an Association Cultuelle and is governed by the Law on Associations
of 1905.
ChapAid is the Charity
Association of the Chaplaincy of Aquitaine under the law governing
associations of 1901 No W3320060028.
The registered office, or
Siege Sociale, is Le Presbytère, I Lotissement la Caussade,
33270 Floirac.
Tax Efficient
Giving
.
The taxmen in
the UK and especially in France have generously made provision for
taxpayers in their countries to claim back income tax on any money they
give to an approved association.
A)
In
France, for example,
you give money to the Chaplaincy either by cheque or by standing order
on your bank. At the end of the year you will receive, from the
Chaplaincy, a receipt to be included in your tax return. At
the moment, you can claim tax relief of 60% of your donation.
So, for example, if you give E100, the taxman will reduce your tax bill
by E60. Thus E100 given to the Chaplaincy will only cost you
E40. This must be the most effective way to support its
ministry.
There are
conditions, of course. The amount of giving on which this rebate is
allowed must not exceed 20% of your income in any one year.
The recipient must also be a recognised “Association
Cultuelle”, which the Chaplaincy of Aquitaine is.
It is very
helpful for the Chaplaincy to be able to plan its finances in
advance. The most practical way for you to help is to set up
a standing order with your bank to ensure regular payments.
To do this, please ask a Church Warden or the local Stewardship Officer
in your congregation to let you have a releve d’identite
bancaire (RIB) for their bank account. Take it to your bank
and instruct them to transfer to it whatever amount you can spare every
month. This can be changed at any time simply by instructing
the bank accordingly.
However, if you
prefer, payments by cheque and at less regular times are always welcome
and receipts can be organised.
B)
In the
United Kingdom, the
authorities are less generous. The taxman’s
contribution has recently been reduced from 20% to 10%. Nevertheless,
this is useful.
For UK
taxpayers, there are two ways of obtaining this benefit.
1) You
can go to the Intercontinental Church Society’s website, www.ics-uk.org
and download the form for the Aquitaine Chaplaincy and return it to the
ICS.
2) Alternatively, you can contact the
Chaplaincy’s Stewardship Officer, Howard Day, whose address
is La Grange du Breuil, Le Breuil, 24340 Mareuil sur Belle, whose
telephone number is 05 53 60 71 04 and whose e-mail address is
howard.day@orange.fr
and he will send you a form and process it for you.
C) We are
currently gathering information on ways in which those who pay taxes in
the USA, South Africa and Australia can benefit
from their own governments’ generosity. Any help
that you can give will be much appreciated; please send it to Howard
Day (see address above).